According to a recent article from Yahoo! News, it seems that Congress is mulling over taking the $1 paper bill from circulation and replacing it with a $1 coin. While this sounds intriguing at the onset, this does not seem to be the point of the article. Instead, there is something more sinister we learn of in the article.

The Mint is preparing a report for Congress showing how changes in the metal content of coins could save money.

The last time the government made major metallurgical changes in U.S. coins was nearly 50 years ago when Congress directed the Mint to remove silver from dimes and quarters and to reduce its content in half dollar coins. Now, Congress is looking at new changes in response to rising prices for copper and nickel.

At a House subcommittee hearing Thursday, the focus was on two approaches:

—Moving to less expensive combinations of metals like steel, aluminum and zinc.

—Gradually taking dollar bills out the economy and replacing them with coins.

Emphasis added. In other words: Devaluation of the currency.

Devaluation is nothing new and great empires like that of the Romans used devaluation during their decent to fallen empire. Incrementally, the value of the Roman currency was diluted by adding smaller amounts of silver in their currency. Eventually, the currency was so diluted that faith in the money was lost and their empire collapsed.

Here is a chart depicting the decline of Roman Currency:

Source: Zero Hedge
This chart shows the decline of the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar:

Looking at the two charts above, the similarities are striking if not prophetic.

The early 5th century Christian priest Salvian of Marseille wrote an account of why the Roman state was collapsing in the West — he was writing from France (Gaul). Salvian says that the Roman state is collapsing because it deserves collapse; because it had denied the first premise of good government, which is justice to the people.

By justice he meant a just system of taxation. Salvian tells us, and I don’t think he’s exaggerating, that one of the reasons why the Roman state collapsed in the 5th century was that the Roman people, the mass of the population, had but one wish after being captured by the barbarians: to never again fall under the rule of the Roman bureaucracy.

In other words, the Roman state was the enemy; the barbarians were the liberators. And this undoubtedly was due to the inflation of the 3rd century. While the state had solved the monetary problem for its own constituents, it had failed to solve it for the masses. Rome continued to use an oppressive system of taxation in order to fill the coffers of the ruling bureaucrats and soldiers.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do? It would appear that should not be the case in this instance.

Comment on this article:

4 responses to End of the Dollar Bill: Ancient Rome Also Diluted Their Currency

We don’t need a gold standard, we do however need a finite money system, none of that printing money to pay off debt crap. putting gold or silver in our money would just reduce the availability or those metals for use in electronics.

This should also serve as a warning to prepare. Have a large food and water supply, arm up, and be ready to fight for American values. Why should we suffer because elected politicians F’d us over and stole our national wealth and freedom. Ask yourself if Washington, Pain, Jefferson and Jackson would want us to become like N Korea or some s’%t hole like that. NO they would not. I thought it pathetic after hurricane Sandy, people were whining for government to give them clean underwear and fresh food! They had advanced warning! We have advanced warning of an economic disaster. You can’t tell me that every person living along the East Coast wants communism. Wants to be poor, unarmed and dependent on government.

I would add that 30 years ago, copper was removed from cents and replaced with copper-plated zinc. These cents to not stand up to wear at all and the elements will rot them away rather quickly compared to the copper cent pieces. I’m with Ron Paul on bringing back the gold standard that Johnson and Nixon took from the American people.